If there is such a thing, last weekend (February 23-24) was the season opener for cycling in the Seattle area.
Racers start their season with a series of time trials, and this year’s Frostbite Time Trial (results) was run on a course in the Carnation area. Highlights from the lung-busting event included:
* a course record by Dustin Van Wyck who blazed the 12.6 miles in 26:13 (an average speed of 28.84 mph), besting the old record by :28 seconds, and
* a field of category 4 women that outnumbered each of the men’s fields: Keep it up, gals, we want to see that same level of enthusiasm at the end of the season!
Time trials are relatively safe–it’s just the rider against the clock going off in ~30 second intervals–so there is a low likelihood of a mishap. As a result, time trials tend to attract a few riders who otherwise don’t race. At last weekend’s race a few unafiiliated riders as well as “non racers” from the Cascade Bicycle Club‘s High Performance Cycling Team toed the line and got a reality check on just how hard they could push themselves: Scott “Stoli” Stolnack finished the 50+ race in 30:36.54, Tricia Davis won the women’s 35+ race in 33:34.33, her hubby Jeff Sorrentino finished the Masters 35-49 race in 31:04.43, and John Pottle finished the “retro” race (using a standard road bike) in 34:29.58.
For the area’s recreational riders, Chilly Hilly gets the season started. Chilly Hilly is a ~33 mile lap around Bainbridge Island with riders coming off in pulses of hundreds (or more?) from the ferry. As a result, the course is jam-packed most of the route, and since the route IS hilly, there are dense bottlenecks on every hill. At mile 19 there was a food stop with home baked goodies provided by the “rope skippers,” and a few miles later the folks at the American Legion Hall were serving up hot cider and a wide assortment of baked goods including gluten free options. I’m pretty sure I ate 50 miles worth of cookies and brownies during the 33 mile route.
I’m not a big fan of humungous event rides like Chilly Hilly, but my wife and I are training for an upcoming cycling adventure in China and thought it would be a fun change in our training plan to ride with 5,000 other Seattle cyclists. For some folks, Chilly Hilly is all about going for a personal best time on the course, while for others it’s a rolling party.
Immediately off the ferry we were swooped by a personal drone that hovered over the crowd.
Although I didn’t cross paths with him, a cycling buddy from Eugene, Mike Stafford, did it on a unicycle–he was able to ride all but the steepest hills–and said that his legs really hurt afterwards. No kidding!
At some point I became aware of a guy rolling with a boom box blasting tunes from his bike frame. It turns out he was part of a Point 83 contingent that apparently had an alternative rest stop program, and instead of energy bars and electrolyte drinks they were dispensing whiskey and possibly some recreational smoking substances. And cyclocross racers thought they were the only ones who knew how to mix bicycles and alcohol…
On the home stretch I came along a recent transplant from South Dakota riding a Fat Bike. He said he could go at 15-17 mph on the flats which surprised me given that it looked like he was pedaling a 2-wheeled Hummer.
Next weekend:
On Saturday it’s another 10 mile opportunity for racers to test themselves against the clock at the Ice Breaker Time Trial on Green Valley Rd near Flaming Geyser State Park.
On Sunday there are two options:
The Seattle International Randonneurs host their annual spring populaire, which will be a fantastic opportunity to connect with the Randonneuring community on a 100 Km (~63 miles) ride. Details.
Racers will be competing at Mason Lake Road Race #1 of 2. Taking a cue from the success the women have had with their racing development clinics, the CycleU/Apex Racing team will hold a post-race clinic to help the category 5 men understand what they just experienced. Several category 1/2 members (accomplished racers) of the CycleU/Apex team will observe the race from the lead and follow cars. Afterwards they’ll discuss how they saw the race play out, which moves were critical, and what chances were missed. They’ll offer suggestions on how to race smarter, how to be a factor in a race, how to work and communicate with teammates, and how to be in position at the right place and time.
The clinic starts at 11:45 and will be held in the community hall just up the road from the start line. The clinic is free to all racers, but everyone is encouraged to support the community and buy some soup or cookies to enjoy during the clinic.
